Heat trace systems are commonly used in industrial and commercial settings to maintain or raise the temperature of pipes through an electrical heating element or heat trace that is in physical contact with the pipe to be heated. Most heat trace systems are controlled by a temperature control system. Such systems include temperature sensors throughout the piping system, and based on the detected temperatures by the sensors, the central computer system controls the current to the various heating elements, to thereby control the trace heating of the various pipes or tanks in the system.
While wireless sensors have gained acceptance in many industries, they have not gained much acceptance in heat trace systems because there is no suitable way to power the wireless sensors. Batteries are not preferred in heat trace systems because a battery failure could result in catastrophic failure (such as when a frozen pipe bursts when a wireless sensor with a spent battery is unable to detect the decreasing temperature of the pipe). Also, running power cables to the sensors is expensive and defeats the purpose of having a wireless sensor.